Authgear vs SuperTokens
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted identity & sso options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Authgear
Open-source authentication and user management server
VS
SuperTokens
Open-source user authentication you can self-host
| Feature | Authgear | SuperTokens |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Identity & SSO | Identity & SSO |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,061 | ★ 15,315 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Auth0, Firebase Auth | Auth0, Firebase Auth |
What are Authgear and SuperTokens?
Authgear
Authgear is an open-source authentication-as-a-service platform supporting passwordless login, social login, and multi-factor authentication. It is self-hosted to provide identity for web and mobile apps.
- Passwordless and social login
- Built-in MFA
- User management dashboard
- OIDC compliant
SuperTokens
SuperTokens is an open-source authentication solution that handles login, sessions, social login and more. It can be self-hosted and offers SDKs and prebuilt UI components for rapid integration.
- Email/password and passwordless login
- Social and enterprise SSO
- Secure session management
- Prebuilt frontend components
Authgear vs SuperTokens: key differences
Authgear is written in Go, while SuperTokens is built with Java. SuperTokens is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Authgear. SuperTokens has the considerably larger community, at 15,315 GitHub stars versus 2,061.
Why pick each one
Choose Authgear if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
Choose SuperTokens if…
- Easy framework integration
- Good free self-hosted tier
Watch out for
- Some advanced features are paid
Frequently asked questions
Is Authgear or SuperTokens better?
SuperTokens is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Authgear if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Authgear and SuperTokens free and open-source?
Yes. Authgear is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SuperTokens under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Authgear and SuperTokens with Docker?
Authgear: yes. SuperTokens: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Authgear or SuperTokens?
SuperTokens has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Authgear. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.